Play tent



Feb. 9, 1937. N. STAAB 2,070,244

PLAY TENT Filed Feb. 23, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 9, 1937. N. STAABPLAY TENT Filed Feb. 23, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 9, 1937. N. STAAB2,070,244

PLAY TENT Filed Feb. 23, 1955 a Sheets- Sheet 3 Patented Feb. 9, 1937UNITED STATES FLAY TENT Nicholas Staab, Chicago, ElL, assignor to J. W.Johnson Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois ApplicationFebruary 23, 1935, Serial No. 7,738

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in tents and has special relationto childrens playtents.

An important object of the invention is to provide a tent structurewhich will be self support ing in open or set up condition; which shallconsist of a minimum number of parts; which will be of minimum weight;which shall be capable of being packed in a minimum sized container inknock-down condition; and which can be readily andeasily assembled inset-up condition.

The invention resides in a tent of tepee form having a plurality offrame members rigidly connected at the peak of the tent and the lowerends of the members connected together and held from spreading by thetent fabric.

The invention also resides in the various structures, devices andcombinations of same by which the above objects are attained.

The accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, and thefollowing description set forth one embodiment of the invention, but itshould be understood that the invention is not limited to such showingexcept within the scope of the appended claims.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a tent con structed in accordance withmy invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the tent, the tent cover beingbroken away to more clearly show the support;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line 3-3 of Figs. 1 and4;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detail section on the line 5--5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the metal connecting bracket at the top ofthe support or frame work;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on the line l! of Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a broken side elevation of one of the legs of the support;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary side elevation of one of the lower corners ofthe tent;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary horizontal section on the line Ill-ll] of Fig.9;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary side elevation of the top portion of the tentcover;

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to Fig. 3, taken onthe line 12-42 of Fig. 13, and showing round legs instead of squarelegs;

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary horizontal section on the line I3-l3 of Fig.12;

Fig. 14 is a horizontal section on the line l4--l4 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary side elevation similar 5 to the lower part ofFig. 2 and showing another means for securing the tent cover to thelower ends of the legs;

Fig. 16 is a horizontal section on the line l6l6 of Fig. 15; 10

Fig. 1'7 is a vertical section on the line l'l-|'l of Fig. 15;

Fig. 18 is a view similar to Fig. 15, but showing a modification of thecover holding means shown in Figs. 15 to 17;

Fig. 19 is a horizontal section on the line l9-l9 of Fig. 18;

Fig. 20 is a partial longitudinal section on the line 2020 of Fig. 18;

Fig. 21 is a vertical section on the line 2l2l of Fig. 18;

Fig. 22 is a view similar to Fig. 18, shown partly in section andshowing another simple cover holding means;

Fig. 23 is a transverse section on the line 23-23 of Fig. 22;

Fig. 24 is a view similar to Fig. 22, but showing a slight modificationof the holding means shown in Fig. 22;

Fig. 25 is a transverse section on the line 25-25 of Fig. 24; and

Fig. 26 is a. fragmentary elevational view of the inner side of thelower end of the leg shown in Fig. 24.

The tent comprises a tent cover 15 made of canvas or the like, and madeup in tent form as shown with a plurality of flat sides 16 reaching fromthe top I! to the bottom [8 of the tent. One of the sides I6 is providedwith an opening 19 located above the bottom I8 of the tent cover to giveentrance to the tent and yet preserve the bottom 18 of the tent coverintact or continuous clear around the tent.

Preferably each side 16 of the tent is fiat and in the form shown thereare four of these sides 45 joined together at their side edges to form aconelike tent cover.

To support the cover for use, I provide a supporting structure which isvery simple in construction and readily assembled for use or dis- 5Uassembled for storage or shipping. The supporting structure consists ofa plurality of leg members 20 equal in number with the sides of the tentcover and arranged at the meeting edges of the sides 16 as shown.

These leg members are rigidly secured together at their upper ends to arigid top bracket member 2|.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 10, inclusive, the leg members 20 are rectangularin cross-section and are preferably square.

The top bracket 2| is preferably made of metal and is provided withgrooves 22 for receiving the upper ends of the legs 20. These grooves 22are preferably V-shaped to fit the inserted corners of the legs 20 andthe legs are rigidly secured to the bracket by readily removable bolts23. The grooves 22 are inclined outwardly to cause the legs 26 to fit inthe corners of the tent cover and hold the sides It? extended in flatcondition.

The supporting structure consisting of the top bracket 2| and the fouroutwardly inclined divergent legs 20, is a relatively rigid unit and canbe lifted and moved about without collapsing.

As has been explained the tent cover is a continuous member, and it isclosed at its top and open at its bottom and is provided with theentrance opening 19.

For securing the cover to the support, the support is provided, adjacentto the lower ends of the legs, with headed projections 24, see Fig. 10,and the cover is provided with eyelets or grummets 25 adjacent its loweredge on the seams connecting the flat sides of the cover, adapted toreceive the headed projections 24. The arrangement is such that thecover has to be stretched taut in order to place the eyelets 25 on theprojections 24 and consequently the cover is in a sense interlocked withthe support and the tent consisting of the Support and the cover is aunit which can be lifted and moved about without collapsing,

The grooves 22 in the bracket 21 and bolts 23 arranged between the endsof the grooves make a very rigid connection of the legs with the bracketand with each other which rigidly holds the legs extended as desired.

It is to be noted that the bracket 2| is hollow and is cut away betweenthe several grooves 22, and it is preferably made of aluminum in orderto reduce its Weight to a minimum while preserving sufiicient rigidityfor the use to which it is put.

It will be understood that by taking off the tent cover and removing thebolts 23, the supporting structure is disassembled and can be packed ina very small space and that the cover can be folded to occupy arelatively small space and that consequently the tent structure as awhole can be packed for shipment in a container of relatively smallcross-section and which is long enough to receive the legs 20.Consequently the device lends itself to the modern ideas ofmerchandising, that is such devices packed in individual cartons readyfor shipment and delivery.

In Figs. 12, 13, and 14, the idea is illustrated that instead of thepreferably square cross-sectional legs 20, round rods 27 may be used andwill likewise be firmly held in the V-shaped grooves 22 by the bolts 23.

To prevent the upper ends of the legs 20 from possibly injuring the tentcover 15, the extreme upper ends of the legs are cut off on an angle asshown at 28, Fig. 3, so as to present a top surface in substantially theplane of the topof the bracket 2 I. And as a further precaution theouter corners 29 of the upper ends of the legs 20 are beveled off asbest shown at 30, Figs. 4 and 8. Likewise the upper ends of the roundlegs 21 may be similarly shaped.

In Figs. 15 to 21, I have shown other means for engaging the lower edgeof the tent cover with the lower ends of the frame members or legs, forholding the tent cover taut.

For instance at the corners of the tent cover I I provide pockets 3|adapted to receive the lower ends of the frame members 20. These pocketsmay be produced by turning up a hem 32 at the lower edge of the coverand leaving the hem 32 unattached to the body of the cover at thecorners, or flaps 33 may be provided at the corner portions of thecover, and these flaps left unattached at their upper edges at thecorners so that the lower ends of the frame members can be insertedbetween the flaps and the body of the tent.

In using either form of pocket it should be understood that the coverhas to be stretched beyond its usual size to insert the ends of thelegs, and the tension on the tent body will hold the cover in place withthe lower ends of the legs in the pockets.

In Figs. 22-26 I have shown other means of securing the cover to thelower ends of the legs, which consists in providing a notchv 34preferably inclined as shown, near the lower end of each leg andproviding, in one form, a tie string 35 on the cover adapted to engagein the notch.

As an alternate form I may secure a ring 36 attached to the cover, onefor each leg, adapted to engage in the notches 34. In both these formsthe tent cover is held taut by the securing means.

As many modifications of the invention will readily suggest themselvesto one skilled in the art, I do not limit or confine the invention tothe specific details of construction herein shown and described exceptwithin the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a tent frame, a top bracket member provided with a plurality ofdivergent grooves, an.

equal plurality of frame members, means for clamping the upper ends ofthe frame members in said grooves and causing the frame members toproject in a divergent manner similar to the divergence of the saidgrooves.

2. In a tent of the kind described, a top bracket provided with aplurality of V-shaped divergent grooves, a like plurality of similarframe members, the grooves adapted to receive the upper ends of the tentframe members, means for tightly clamping the upper ends of the framemembers in said grooves and causing the frame members to be held indivergent relation similar to the divergence of the grooves.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2, the upper ends of the legmembers being formed to lie in a plane parallel with the top of thebracket.

4. In a tent of the kind described, a substantially rigid frame workcomprising a connecting bracket at the top, elongated frame memberssecured rigidly to the bracket and extending downwardy in divergentrotation from the bracket, a continuous cover fitting over the framework, the lower edge portion of the cover turned up inside and stitchedat its edge to the body of the cover except where the frame members arelocated, thus forming pockets to receive the free ends of the framemembers.

NICHOLAS STAAB.

